Bonsai Power Tools

radsnell

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I read the thread from 2007 concerning bonsai power carving tools. Are there any newer recommended tools for carving? I have an angle grinder and rechargeable dremels. It looks like I need a good die grinder with a few good bits to get into tight places that the Angle can't. I have several medium-large trees that need some woodwork done (Yaupon, bald cypress, junipers, trident maple). I also read Graham Potter's articles, but I would rather get something from here, where I don't have to convert everything to dollars.

Boyd
 

monza

Shohin
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You can buy all the tools or equivalent he talks about, except for maybe his speciality bits.

His carving videos are great to watch.
 

radsnell

Sapling
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Grinders

In the '07 article, Dale recommended the Makita GD0600 or the Dewalt DW887. Are these still the best choices?

Boyd
 

Joedes3

Shohin
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What dremmel bits do you recommend?
 

mholt

Mame
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I own the GD0600 and it seems to be built nice, good solid weight, but I don't care for the paddle switch much. It's probably a good safety feature but it gets annoying to hold it down. For about a hundred more and a few amps more, you can look into the GD0800C.
 

rockm

Spuds Moyogi
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Although it can be a bit of a pain to find in the U.S. I have the Arbortech mini-grinder.

http://www.arbortech.com.au/view/woodworking-information/mini-grinder_20070202100615


I located it in a local woodworking specialty shop. It's not all that expensive and I've found it pretty effective on mid-range trees with no vast expanses of deadwood--which require more horsepower. More horsepower can actually be a bad thing as you cannot replace the deadwood that's been removed...:D, although you might be able to re-attach lost digits IF you put them on ice and get to a doctor quickly :D.
 

mcpesq817

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Contact Dale Cochoy for bits.
 
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